Si Zentner
Simon Hugh Zentner (June 13, 1917 in New York City, United States – January 31, 2000 in Las Vegas, Nevada) was an American trombonist and jazz big-band leader. Zentner played in the bands of Les Brown, Harry James, and Jimmy Dorsey in the 1940s, then moved to Los Angeles, where he worked as a studio musician. He also landed a job with MGM from 1949 to the mid-50s, and was involved in the music for films such as Singin' in the Rain and A Star Is Born. The Zentner band began recording for Liberty Records in 1959, recording numerous successful pop/jazz albums during the 1960s and touring steadily with a large outfit. Zentner was a tireless promoter and claimed to have played 178 consecutive one-night performances when the band was at its peak. His ensemble was voted "Best Big Band" for 13 straight years by Down Beat, and Zentner himself was voted Best Trombonist in Playboy Jazz Readers' Poll. In 1962, his album Up a Lazy River (Big Band Plays the Big Hits, Vol. 2) (arranged by Bob Florence) won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Performance. Zentner's success was thoroughly unusual; he had a thriving big band going at a time when big band music was, for the most part, on the wane. He suffered from leukemia late in life, though he continued performing into 1999; he died of the disease in early 2000. |
Birth and Death Data: Born June 13, 1917 (New York City), Died January 31, 2000 (Las Vegas)
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1940 - 1958
Roles Represented in DAHR: trombone
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 69 records)
Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Decca | L 4335 | 12/9/1946 | Shh! The old man's sleeping | Hoagy Carmichael | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 4336 | 12/9/1946 | Doctor , Lawyer , Indian chief | Hoagy Carmichael | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 5575 | 4/25/1950 | Cry, cry, cry | Mildred Bailey | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 5576 | 4/25/1950 | Blue prelude | Mildred Bailey | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 6396 | 8/28/1951 | Happiness is this | Sonny Burke Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 6397 | 8/28/1951 | Cocoanuts | Sonny Burke Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 6398 | 8/28/1951 | Mr. President | Sonny Burke Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 6399 | 8/28/1951 | Three cornered tune | Sonny Burke Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7310 | 8/22/1953 | A walkin' tune | Ike Carpenter Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7311 | 8/22/1953 | Sadie Thompson's song-1 | Ike Carpenter Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7312 | 8/22/1953 | Fantasy staccato | Ike Carpenter Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7313 | 8/22/1953 | Tengard | Ike Carpenter Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7665 | 5/7/1954 | I know why | Modernaires | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7666 | 5/7/1954 | That's you, that's me, that's love | Modernaires | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 7667 | 5/7/1954 | Mine! Mine! Mine! | Modernaires | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 8660 | 9/8/1955 | Only you | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 8661 | 9/8/1955 | Christmas in New Orleans | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 8662 | 9/8/1955 | Moments to remember | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 8663 | 9/8/1955 | Christmas night in Harlem | Louis Armstrong | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 9815 | 1/24/1957 | Happy valley trek | Bob Crosby Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 9816 | 1/24/1957 | Memphis march | Bob Crosby Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 9817 | 1/24/1957 | Bobcats on parade | Bob Crosby Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 9818 | 1/24/1957 | Skippin' John | Bob Crosby Orchestra | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 10758 | 2/3/1958 | I see your face before me | Billy Bean ; John (Johnny) Pisano | instrumentalist, trombone | |||
Decca | L 10759 | 2/3/1958 | Linger awhile | Billy Bean ; John (Johnny) Pisano | instrumentalist, trombone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Zentner, Si," accessed November 22, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/352073.
Zentner, Si. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 22, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/352073.
"Zentner, Si." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 22 November 2024.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Si Zentner
Discogs: Si Zentner
Allmusic: Si Zentner
Grove: Si Zentner
IMDb: Si Zentner
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Zentner, Si, 1917-2000 - http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n87873289
Wikidata: Si Zentner - http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1431685
VIAF: http://viaf.org/viaf/12493313
MusicBrainz: Si Zentner - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/4ec41f8c-b399-4684-a361-a233e8e81a83
Wikipedia content provided under the terms of the Creative Commons BY-SA license
Feedback
Send the Editors a message about this record.